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Bruce Buchanan joined the family business, Flanner & Buchanan, in 1996. “It might surprise some people, but the good feeling you get from serving a family when there is a death is a unique honor,” he said.
(Photo:
Michelle Pemberton / The Star
)

A wedding at a funeral home? It's happening. And corporate meetings and birthday parties too.

Flanner & Buchanan Mortuaries and other funeral homes are adding services for a variety of life events.

Flanner & Buchanan's new Geist location hosted a wedding well before a funeral.

"We have always been open to using the event rooms at our area centers for various functions such as wedding receptions, civic meetings, proms and anniversary parties," said Bruce Buchanan, the president of Buchanan Group and Flanner & Buchanan Mortuaries.

"Our Geist location is the first to be designed and built as a community/event center in addition to hosting funerals," said Buchanan. "We are remodeling all of our locations to be more like reception centers."

That's not all that's new in the funeral home business.

"We are seeing more all-in-one-day funerals. Cremation also continues to rise in popularity," said Buchanan

Flanner & Buchanan has been a family business for over 130 years. Bruce Buchanan's father, Judge Paul H. Buchanan Jr., purchased the business in 1980 from his sister, maintaining the family legacy. Bruce Buchanan, who joined the company in 1996. While he had served in a funeral director role, Buchanan felt his communications background would help the company.

"I saw an opportunity to upgrade the management of our related companies. I also got a chance to work closely with my father which I cherish to this day," said Buchanan. "It might surprise some people, but the good feeling you get from serving a family when there is a death is a unique honor. I am not a funeral director, but I want to support our mission of service to the fullest."

A: The consumer will continue to take more control of the end-of-life process. Personalized, unique funerals will become more the norm. We are in a period of transition now. People tend to know more about what they don't want in a funeral than what they do. End-of-life professionals will be their guides.

A: I want our brand to be recognized as the premiere provider for all of life's key events. End-of-life ceremony will always be our passion, but our facilities are perfect for many family and civic events too. I personally believe that it is healthy to mix different events at our facilities — to share a laugh on one visit and a tear the next. The less we hide death the more healthy our attitude about it will be.

Q: Is there anything such as a traditional funeral service now?

A: Yes! Tradition lives, but churches are not driving every funeral ceremony as they once did. Ceremony is a basic human need. The script just changes with time.

More about Bruce W. Buchanan

• Title: CEO, fourth-generation owner.

• Age: 59.

• Education: Bachelor's degree in political science from Indiana University and master's degree in visual communication from Ohio University.

• Prior position: Owner, Buchanan Photo Communications.

• Favorite quote: "Worry is the darkroom where negatives are developed."